I went to New York!

by Megan on September 6, 2012

Last Friday I arrived in New York hungry.

My friend Kathy and I arrived at our lovely friend Erica‘s house late-ish Friday night. We were super hungry and the cocoa almonds we ate on the plane just weren’t cutting it. So, Erica took us to The Meatball Shop where I ate every single bite of a Meatball Smash-wich — spicy pork meatballs, tomato sauce, and provolone on brioche. I ordered a side of kale risotto worth marrying. We even split an ice cream sandwich made with chocolate hazelnut cookies and caramel ice cream. I was crazy about it all. I fell asleep full and happy.

Saturday we headed over to Smorgasburg. It was toasty so I bought some watermelon juice to sip, and I ate my first lobster roll Connecticut-style (pictured above)! It didn’t disapoint. I’d never had one, but had craved one for quite awhile. (I seriously crave things I’ve never had. Do you guys do that?) We also each ate mini pop tarts and split a Cafe Au Lait donut, that I’m certain was full of dreams based on it’s fluffy goodness.

We walked over to the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory to see if they were offering tours, but unfortunately they weren’t. We definitely sampled chocolate though. They have so many kinds, and the packaging is the best. Too bad those bearded brothers weren’t there in their hip denim shirts. We spent the day shopping around, trying on ankle boots, and seeing people walking their shiba inus. It was time for ice cream.

We popped into the Momofuku Milk Bar and were immediately in love with the soft-serve ice cream flavors. I can’t imagine much better than blueberry pancake and cereal milk soft-serve swirled together and topped with pancake crumbles. Corn flakes are really good at making ice cream taste awesome and complex. I loved it! Totally think I might need to try to recreate this at home somehow…

We went to dinner at Roberta’s and split a really pretty zucchini salad with bread crumbs, fresh mozzarella, and pesto. We shared pizzas too — Charles in Chard and the Green and White. Both were fresh and flavorful. There was sausage crumbled on the swiss chard pizza and it made it extra awesome! I also loved the white pizza with lemony greens. I’m making one this weekend. I have to!

We went out that night to the Wythe Hotel and had drinks at their rooftop bar. The skyline view was incredible. It was like standing in the center of an eternal skyline. It really made Chicago and Detroit seem so small! We had a few drinks and then popped over to Berry Park where Mariah Carey (Fantasy the remix) was playing and we could sit at the outside bar. We were able to meet up with a couple of my friends. We talked about dogs and needing grilled cheese. Grilled cheese didn’t happen, but we might’ve gotten totchos (tater tot nachos), a corn dog, and root beers at Crif Dogs.

The next morning we popped over to Five Leaves for brunch. I needed some eggs and bacon in my life. We might’ve gotten their famous ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter for the table to share. It was all crazy-good. Ricotta is magic. After brunch we headed to Soho to shop. We tried on outfits at Topshop and Madewell. We headed back to Brooklyn because I had my eye on a pair of ankle boots. I tried them on and met an adorable pomeranian named Rusty. He was the kind of pup that would lean and gaze at you when you’d crouch down to pet him. He might’ve licked my ankles. What a charmer!

Right when we were thinking that we woulnd’t be hungry ever again, our stomachs growled.

We went to Samurai Mama for dinner. I’d never had udon noodles and knew I needed them in my life. I ordered one of the specials — spicy pork curry stew on udon noodles. It was perfect! I splashed noodles a bit since my chop stick skills are lacking, but it was worth it! I ate every single bite, and I was somehow too full for ice cream! That never happens.

Monday morning we got up bright and early to fit all of our new shoes in our suitcases. We popped out to Egg for a proper breakfast. Erica about their biscuits so I knew I needed one. I opted for the country ham and aged cheddar biscuit sandwich with grits. It was my first time having grits, and they were buttery and dreamy. I also liked that you could get a french press full of coffee for the table. It was dark, strong, and perfect. After breakfast Kathy and I headed to the airport after breakfast to fly back to Detroit.

So basically, it was the most fun! Everything I ate was absolutely delicious. Everywhere we went had the best atmosphere. It was just pretty much my favorite weekend. I already can’t wait to go back.